Use 2D signs to traverse a 3D world in platformer The Pedestrian

The demo of the upcoming puzzle game is both novel and charming.

You've seen the hero of The Pedestrian before. It's the simple human figure that adorns restroom signs, warning signs, crosswalk signals, and other public placards that convey information universally and without text. Now it's your turn to act as a guide, steering the brave and informative little icon through a series of 2D signs that create a path through a 3D world.

The Pedestrian, an upcoming puzzle-platformer from developer Skookum Arts, is currently only a demo, but it's one you should definitely check out.

Each puzzle in The Pedestrian has a simple goal: move from the entrance to the exit. However, navigating the sign dimension isn't that straightforward. You need to link the signs by drawing lines between them, so the exit from one sign leads to another sign's entrance, or so the top of one ladder connects with the bottom of another. The signs themselves can be rearranged as well, so you can more easily create these links between them.

Once you've got your signs organized and linked, you run, jump, and climb through them in platformer fashion, and at any point while you play, you can stop running and move your links and signs around again. Once you've escaped a series of signs, you swoosh through the 3D world (which is beautifully created in Unity) until you appear at the entrance to the next series of signs.

It takes a little while to get the hang of it, and in the spirit of universal signage, there is no traditional explanatory text on how things work. If the game needs to teach you something, it'll display it somewhere near the puzzle, perhaps in the background blinking on a TV screen. As you play, you'll learn how to perform other tasks like picking up and using items, or throwing switches that move obstacles.

The demo isn't terribly difficult, nor is it meant to be: it's an introduction to how the finished game will work. It's good fun, though, a really neat concept that is impressively executed. Each puzzle adds a little more challenge, and soon simple ladders and doors give way to rotating blades and elevators. Meanwhile, the 3D environment takes you through offices and warehouses.

I recommend you grab the demo from The Pedestrian's Itch.io page, (on the name your own price model), as it's an enjoyable way to spend fifteen minutes or so. There's also a Kickstarter planned for January. Get more details on its official site and check out a trailer below.

Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring stories in RPGs so he can make up his own.